Sphinx: First Look

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We dig deep into the tombs of THQ's original action-adventure. The movie is up!

By Douglass C. Perry

In the recent past British developer Eurocom has been synonymous with the phrase "good ports." Renowned for its keen ability to port huge franchises or create monster-licensed games under the direction of another, Eurocom has graduated from the 32-bit days with a good reputation and dozens of good names under its belt. What's more, it's created games in just about every genre. Working with THQ, the seasoned developer has ventured into an original game space, creating a fantasy world based on ancient Egypt, Sphinx and the Shadow of Set.

Sphinx delves into an ancient Egyptian world where light and dark forces were separated many years ago. Combining adventure elements like those in Tomb Raider and gameplay mechanics similar to those in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, players take on the role of Sphinx, a young demi-god who has learned that his peaceful set of villages has been disturbed by nightmarish monsters and a terrible imbalance of forces.

The story goes that long ago, a magical Egyptian Empire joined several worlds, which were linked together by Lunar and Solar Disc portals. Playing though the game as two characters, Sphinx and the Mummy (by the familiar name of Tutankhamen), gamers learn that the old empire was destroyed and the rest of the civilizations in each world have suffered different fates. These worlds have been separated for such a long time that few would not recognize the different races or the different worlds. And even fewer would know how to connect the worlds again.

Sphinx realizes, however, that some force or somebody has begun tinkering with the balance of forces. In classic RPG fashion, Sphinx interfaces with numerous NPCs and, through text-based conversations, he learns about new worlds, items, bosses, and is given primary and optional sub-quests. Slowly but surely he discovers who is manipulating the two worlds and what he must do to stop it.

Strange things have been happening in Sphinx's world. Problems are appearing; normally peaceful villages are now at war, odd monsters appear in valleys where there was once placid ecology. And nobody knows why. But there are clues. Legend tells Sphinx that two forces, a negative one and a positive one, are trying to recover the old empire and all of its crowns again. Sphinx commences in an adventure as part of a small community of wizards who are desperately trying to understand these legends. On a deeper level, Sphinx must learn who is trying to join the two worlds of dark and light, how to stop them, and become a more mature, skilled warrior as he progresses.

Use a massive quiver of weapons to defeat monsters like these.

THQ Project Manager Mark Morris explains that the seven worlds of Sphinx are massive environments, lush with detail, moving objects, and populated with more than 200 characters. Players venture into the worlds as Sphinx, and as they play they switch back and forth between playing him and the Mummy. The action-adventure game offers lots of secrets to discover, while also blending in unique action elements, puzzle-solving elements and some light platforming aspects too.